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ocTTING SUBSCRIBERS 

FOR THE COUNTRY 

NEWSPAPER 



GETTING SUBSCRIBERS 

FOR THE COUNTRY 

NEWSPAPER 



BY J. B. POWELL 




NEW YORK 1915 
PUBLISHED BY THE OSWALD PUBLISHING CO. 




Copyright, 19 1 5, by the 
Oswald Publishing Co. 



Oswald Press % New York 



*R 18 1915 



p.^ 



•CI.A398002 



GETTING SUBSCRIBERS FOR 
THE COUNTRY NEWSPAPER 



There is a common understanding among newspaper 
men that advertising depends on circulation, circula- 
tion depends on news, news depends on business facili- 
ties and these depend on advertising. In other words, the 
organization of a newspaper is an endless chain. Of 
course the employees of every department think theirs is 
the most important department of all. But they all know 
that one could not exist without the others. 

If a newspaper man, starting in business, could have 
his choice of any of these constants, however, he probably 
would choose circulation. For it is known that the 
other things are sure to follow if you can produce the 
proper circulation reports. This does not make circulation 
the most important, but it does give it a place as a factor 
which should always be guarded and nursed. 

There is no phase of the production of a country news- 
paper so grossly neglected as circulation. Who ever heard 
of a circulation manager of a country newspaper in a town 
of less than four thousand population? There are editors, 
business managers, secretaries and treasurers, bookkeep- 
ers and office girls, but there are no circulation managers. 
Yet any paper with more than a one-man office force can 
well afford to have a circulation manager whose business 
is to build, solicit and manage the circulation, 

3 



THE COUNTRY NEWSPAPER A COUNTY NEWSPAPER 

The Newspaper's Field 

Country newspapers on an average have subscription 
lists of one thousand to two thousand names. The list 
which rises above the two-thousand mark and is yet a 
country newspaper is head and shoulders above others in 
this class. You can nearly count on your fingers those in a 
western state which exceed twenty-five hundred. County- 
seat papers in that state have circulations between fifteen 
hundred and two thousand. Those papers with less than 
one thousand circulations are considered very weak. If 
such papers pay, the profits must come from high advertis- 
ing rates, legal printing or job printing. 

The country newspaper might be considered — as in 
most cases it is — a county newspaper. That, in a way, 
limits its field. Across the borders in the other counties 
there are always county journals, so the country editor 
does not look for his subscribers in other counties. His 
is a local field, and success lies in pleasing, serving and 
soliciting this constituency. 

Sometimes, in fact ofttimes, in the more thickly set- 
tled regions, the country-newspaper field is even more 
limited than by the county borders. It may not be the 
county-seat newspaper, a factor which always influences 
circulation. There may be other newspapers in the county 
which lay claim to a field around towns in which they 
are established. In these cases the paper's field is cut 
down to the town and vicinity, the latter being fixed 



THE INFLUENCE OF SUBSCRIBERS ON SUBSCRIPTIONS 

generally by the rural routes. Of course it can always be 
expected that the home county, even tho dotted all over 
with newspapers, will always be richer in subscribers 
than outside territory. Always before the editor lies the 
possibility of making his the newspaper of the county. 

In a county I have in mind there are twelve news- 
papers. The county's population is 25,253. The papers 
are located in eight towns. It can be easily seen how 
their territories overlap. The county business is divided 
between two towns, so no paper can assert itself as an 
official organ or lay claim to that title. The circulations 
of these papers are from five hundred to twenty-five hun- 
dred. 

The next step in figuring a possible circulation list is to 
determine just what proportion of the total population in 
its geographical territory the paper can expect to put on 
its list. The biggest factor in splitting the constituency 
of a newspaper is politics. Most country newspapers stand 
out for some party. In fact, it is expected that they shall 
be partisan, and the strongest country papers, I might as- 
sert with confidence, are those which are partisan. Never- 
theless, when a newspaper engages itself in the service 
of a party, it limits itself to the strength of that party. 
That is, supposing the county is evenly divided politi- 
cally, a Republican paper cannot expect more than ten 
per cent of its circulation in the county to be Democrats, 
and vice versa. And the more partisan a paper is, the 
smaller becomes the percentage. 

5 



THE POSSIBLE CIRCULATION 



Now, taking a county with twenty thousand popula- 
tion, a partisan county-seat newspaper can expect to draw 
from ten thousand of its own party and a little more than 
one thousand of the other party. A newspaper's ideal 
should be to send one paper to each home. The family is 
composed on an average of four persons. To these eleven 
thousand people the paper should send 2,750 copies. 

This is local circulation. Every paper has a foreign 
list, depending on its age and the emigration from the 
county. Perhaps an average would be fifteen per cent of 
the total circulation. In this theoretical case I am laying 
out it would be 627. This would make the total possible 
circulation 3,377, which should be the aim of that paper. 

Of course every paper run in an energetic and wide- 
awake fashion has enemies. And there are always delin- 
quents who must be cut off. But to offset these there are 
many instances where the bachelor or spinster will be 
getting a paper. All of the circulation so far considered 
is quality circulation, based on the idea that it is paid up 
to date. Any newspaper can stuff its list with complimen- 
tary copies, and just that much does it burden itself with 
expense and unappreciative readers. These should be 
limited to advertisers, advertising agencies, correspon- 
dents, exchanges and employees. 

Building the Circulation 

The case of the magazine which increased its circula- 
tion so rapidly that it outgrew its advertising rates and 
6 



THE QUALITY OF THE NEWSPAPER 

nearly went bankrupt is known to all of us. It can easily 
be seen how that happened. But there is no such possi- 
bility in the country-newspaper field, for the subscription 
rate is usually high enough to make the big list profitable. 
Therefore it should be and is the policy of every country 
newspaper to keep building its circulation. 

Let us consider the methods of building circulation. 
The biggest factor, it is agreed by all country-newspaper 
men, is quality of the paper. The paper that is first-class 
in a news, editorial and mechanical way has the strong- 
est pull on a big subscription list. Some editors go so far 
as to say this is the only method of building circulation, 
but I hardly agree with them. There are others. 

From a news standpoint, it seems to be a general 
opinion that country correspondence is the biggest wire 
in pulling subscribers. Experience has taught the country 
editors that the personal feeling toward a letter of cor- 
respondence printed in the paper makes the readers ap- 
preciate the paper. It's an old maxim that every person 
likes to see his name in print, and there's no article like 
the country correspondence to get names in. In getting 
the town subscriber interested in your paper, the personal 
column will work the same way the country correspon- 
dence does. In writing further of the value of news in 
building circulation, it might be said that the paper which 
covers the news thoroly is the one which the people will 
look to for news. 

There is some doubt as to just what influence editorials 

7 



SOLICITING BY MAIL 



have on circulation. The editorial enthusiast will argue 
for editorials as great circulation builders. Still, the proof 
remains that there are papers which have good circula- 
tions and yet do not run editorials. My opinion is that 
editorials are valuable because they bring the editor closer 
to his readers. The personality of the editor always in- 
fluences the circulation of a country newspaper, and the 
greatest way an editor has in gaining a recognized per- 
sonality is thru the editorials he writes. 

But much of the effect of good news and good editori- 
als may be lost by slovenly make-up and printing. The 
readers appreciate a neat newspaper. Correct and pretty 
mechanical work will always draw subscribers. Even the 
size of a newspaper's body type will decide some persons 
in selecting a newspaper. Many old persons complain of 
the type which is ' too small to read even with specs on." 

Thus are laid the foundations on which the country 
newspaper wishes to build circulation. But there is an- 
other phase of building circulation which is most gener- 
ally neglected. This is solicitation. It is the impetus 
which enables the editor to cash in on his paper's superi- 
ority. 

No paper can excuse itself for not soliciting by mail. 
It is possible to obtain lists to work on thru the vot- 
ing registers of the county, thru the tax lists and thru 
other legitimate channels of information. This list should 
be kept up to date. Write appealing circular letters 
to the persons on this list and send them sample copies 
8 



THE EMPLOYMENT OF SOLICITORS 

of special editions and of papers in which there are 
marked articles about themselves. In mailing these let- 
ters and papers never forget that the wife largely selects 
the paper. A point in favor of mail solicitation is that it 
is a fact that most men welcome mail and most men avoid 
subscription solicitors. A letter that does not bring ten 
per cent returns is not effective. 

One brainy little scheme of soliciting thru the mail is 
worked by a Hannibal, Mo., newspaper. Whenever a 
marriage takes place in its field, this newspaper is sent 
to the new home with the account of the marriage 
marked ; accompanying the paper is a letter of congratu- 
lation, ending up with the suggestion that the right way 
to start married life is to have a newspaper in the home. 
It gets the subscribers in most cases. 

A few county newspapers employ solicitors. It takes a 
live and energetic newspaper man to undertake such a 
campaign for subscribers. Most of those who have tried 
it are pleased with their results, they say, and are con- 
tinuing. They say the cost is not prohibitive, in fact no 
more than the cost of getting subscribers by contests. 
One South Dakota editor states that new subscribers cost 
him fifty cents each, and he was able to double the circu- 
lation of two newspapers in two years with the aid of 
solicitors. 

It is a fact, however, that some solicitors can do you 
more harm than good. There is a lot in picking your 
solicitors. One circulation manager of a big newspaper 

9 



CONTESTS AS CIRCULATION BUILDERS 

says that the requisites of a valuable solicitor are "hon- 
esty, sobriety, intelligence, canvassing ability, tact, 
patience, control." It is a big question whether he should 
be paid on commission or on a salary. On commission he 
will get subscribers at any sacrifice to the paper, even 
cutting rates. On salary he is likely to shirk. The coun- 
try correspondent can always be made a good solicitor, and 
he should not be overlooked in laying out your campaign. 

Perhaps the one point most disputed among country- 
newspaper men is whether contests and bargain days pay. 
There is a great deal of resentment against them, espe- 
cially the discussions in trade papers being against them. 
Nevertheless the companies which arrange and conduct 
campaigns can show you that they are putting on con- 
tests for the best papers of the state right along. There 
is one newspaper in northeastern Missouri which puts on 
a contest every year. And this editor, who owns two 
good-paying, up-to-date newspapers in that section of 
the state, will tell you very quickly that contests do 
pay. Bargain days are more unusual than contests. There 
seems little argument to offer for any newspaper man 
to set aside a certain day when he will discount old bills 
and take new subscriptions at reduced rates. 

Contests deserve more attention, however. There are 
many kinds of contests, the most popular being the piano 
contest, in which the winner receives a piano and the 
other contestants in second, third and fourth places re- 
ceive other less expensive prizes. Then there is the con- 
10 



CONTESTS ARE EXPENSIVE 



test carried on by some retail merchant in which the 
paper co-operates by advertising the contest and allowing 
votes for subscription payments. Another kind is that in 
which the contest company persuades five leading busi- 
ness firms to allow discounts for purchases on which they 
give away tickets on a piano or automobile which the 
newspaper is giving away. The newspaper also gives 
tickets. They are all more or less similar to the old piano 
contest, with some minor deviations for the purpose of 
creating more interest. 

In the first place, contests are expensive. They cost 
from five hundred to one thousand dollars. Just place 
that sum over to the debit of a mail and solicitor fund 
and imagine whether the credit to the fund would be 
more or less than the credit to the contest. You contract 
to pay a contest company fifty per cent for new subscrib- 
ers and forty per cent for collections as a general rule. 
Unless your subscription list is full of dead-beats and 
your field has been thoroly worked for subscribers, you are 
likely to be paying a very dear price for your new sub- 
scribers and collections. 

In the next place, a contest always maiies enemies for 
the newspaper. And generally the losing contestants are 
disgruntled at the outcome. It is difficult to keep people 
from suspicioning graft. The biggest argument against 
them, however, is that the new subscribers are not ob- 
tained on the merits of the newspaper. And generally 
time tells that the subscribers who stick and pay are the 

11 



CLUBBING OFFERS AND PREMIUMS 

ones who do subscribe on the merits of the newspaper. 
Personally I believe there are some cases where a con- 
test is a good thing in a business way. For example, a 
few years ago the publisher of a Missouri newspaper 
bought out an opposition Republican paper. The offices 
were consolidated, as were the subscription lists. The 
publisher found that the list he had purchased was in 
very bad shape. It was time to find out what this list was 
worth and what complaints any subscribers might have 
against the old management or the new. A contest, con- 
ducted after a series of statements had been mailed, 
cleaned up the combined list and put it on a good basis. 
In closing the discussion of circulation building, it 
might be well to say something about clubbing offers and 
premiums. Some editors are under the impression that 
clubbing offers bring subscribers. This seems to me a 
false impression. Every other newspaper can offer the 
same figures on orders for city newspapers and magazines. 
So why would any one quit another paper for yours to get 
something any paper would give them? I do believe that 
mailing subscriptions to city newspapers and magazines 
pays, in that it produces friendship and good-will and en- 
courages prompt payments on subscription. As far as pre- 
mium offers are concerned — that is, giving away tin sil- 
verware or cheap pillow tops, etc. — I do not believe 
they can help in the least. Subscribers do not take a 
paper to obtain a premium, and if they did they would 
always be expecting another premium. 
12 



A QUESTION OF BUSINESS POLICY 

Subscription Rates 

Another vital point concerning circulation is the rate 
of yearly subscription. Rates now average about one dol- 
lar and twenty-five cents in the United States as a whole. 
In the West the rates run from one dollar and fifty cents to 
two dollars. 

Some papers have two rates — the pay-in-advance rate 
and the rate for subscriptions paid after expiration. Other 
papers have a rate for foreign circulation and another rate 
for county circulation. 

Generally the rate is all the editor thinks the "traffic 
will bear." That's the way he fixes his rate. In most 
cases the competition determines the price. There are 
some fifty-cent papers, but I do not believe the country 
papers will ever depend on the advertiser alone for profit, 
as do most city papers. There are some papers which hold 
up their rates in a highly competed field and yet retain 
the largest circulations. These are the papers with qual- 
ity" circulation. After all, the question of rates is one of 
business policy. 

About one-third of the country papers pretend to have 
a pay-in-advance system. Not more than fifteen per cent 
have it in effect, is my opinion. That is, there is not 
more than fifteen per cent of the country papers which 
stop a man's paper when his subscription expires. The 
editor should know his subscribers, and if he studies his 
list he can tell just about how much credit any subscriber 

13 



DO NOT MAKE ENEMIES 



can stand. For those who ask it I would stop their papers. 
That can be done by using a mailing-list book. 

The country-newspaper man should rely on statements 
and abide by the government regulation that subscrip- 
tions shall not fall behind more than one year. A series 
of statements mailed out before expiration and during 
the year will tell whether a subscriber intends to pay. In 
mailing statements, the answer should cause as little in- 
convenience as possible to the subscriber. Make it easy 
for him to pay. Don't put him to the bother of filling 
out a lot of blanks. If the subscriber doesn't pay when 
the final time you have set is up, nor hasn't made a re- 
quest that his paper be continued, cut him off. 

Some editors have found it worth while in straighten- 
ing up a bad subscription list to put some cases in court 
as test cases. Of course the newspaper wins, because the 
law says that as long as a man takes a paper from his 
mail-box or allows it to be taken out he assumes the re- 
sponsibility of paying for it. If he does not want it he 
should not take it out. Therefore all the editor has to 
prove is that the defendant received the paper. The ques- 
tion of whether he ordered it sent does not enter into 
the case. These cases help the collectors a good deal. I 
don't believe in putting many bills in the hands of col- 
lection agencies. If a personal visit by a newspaper's rep- 
resentative won't bring the money, I don't believe a brow- 
beating by a collection agency will bring you as much 
as the enemies you make will cost you in the long run. 
14 



THE SUBSCRIPTION BOOK 



Methods of Recording Circulation 

The methods of recording circulation in newspaper 
offices are nearly as numerous as the newspapers them- 
selves. The systems fall into the general classes of card, 
book and loose-leaf. There are companies which supply 
record blanks of each of these classes. But nearly every 
office makes some deviations from the other systems. The 
general spirit among newspaper men is to better their 
office systems, and the day of the editor who dropped one- 
half of every dollar in his trousers' pocket and invited all 
the "boys" to have a treat on the other half without keep- 
ing a record of any of it is past. 

The subscription book is the oldest system. The sub- 
scribers' names, generally on proofs of the mailing gal- 
leys, are put in the book at the left of the page under 
the heading of the town or the city where they get their 
mail. When the subscriber comes in to pay his subscrip- 
tion, the first question is, Where do you get your mail?" 
Then his name is located and a credit made to the right 
showing the date to which he is paid. Some papers credit 
their subscribers for fifty-two issues of the paper instead 
of a year from date to date. In seven years the editor 
runs ahead one issue in this way. But it is always con- 
fusing and I do not think it worth while. 

In most books no record is made of the date on which 
the subscription was paid. This is the main objection to 
the book system. You are never able to settle disputes as 

15 



PASTED MAILING PROOFS 



to when and how much was paid on subscription unless 
you go thru a myriad of entries on your cashbook. In 
this system the changes of address are made in the book. 
When a man changes, a note is made after his name at 
the old address, telling where he has been changed to. 
Then his name is placed under the new address with the 
date of the expiration. 

A Missouri newspaper's old system was a book of pasted 
mailing proofs which was renewed about once every three 
or four months. Credits on subscription were made in the 
book, but no change of address ; therefore if any person 
changed address and paid his subscription more than once 
before a new book was made, it was hard to locate his 
name to make a credit. Constantly it was necessary to 
refer to the mailing galleys. And any mistake made ty- 
pographically in changing the dates and addresses caused 
lots of trouble. On the other hand, there was an advan- 
tage because there was always the incentive to keep the 
mailing galleys in correct shape — something many coun- 
try papers neglect. In a nutshell, the main objection to 
this system is that it does not keep a permanent record in 
a concise form of all dealings with the subscribers. 

The card and loose-leaf systems are much alike, except 
cards are not so flimsy as the paper used in loose-leaf 
books. Both are objected to because of the danger of los- 
ing the cards or sheets of paper. City papers as a rule use 
some form of the loose-leaf system. Their records are 
necessarily larger than those of a smaller paper and they 
16 



THE CARD SYSTEM 



need more room for their entries. A small five-by-three 
card is plenty large for the country paper. These cards 
are filed under the name of the subscriber and there is 
no time lost in locating him under a town or city address. 
The name is all that is needed to find a complete record 
of all transactions with the subscriber. 

The first three cards shown on the pages immediately 
following are used in some newspaper offices. 

The first is a Shaw- Walker card. It is a bit indefinite 
at the bottom. There would always be mistakes in mak- 
ing entries there. The top half is fine. The tips at the 
top are very convenient for the editor who has a cash-in- 
advance system or who wants to mail out statements. 
The checks near the top at the right make it easy to 
catch the exact date of expiration by years. 

The second card form is one used by a Missouri news- 
paper. It lacks the tips, which makes it necessary to 
run thru all the cards and to look down near the bottom 
to find the date entries. It also lacks a place for change 
of address. Therefore every time a person changes his 
address a new card has to be made out. 

The third is used in an Illinois office. It is very good 
for a country newspaper, but might be improved. The 
same objection raised against the second card because it 
lacked a tip at the top might be offered against this one. 

The fourth card shown is one I have made up as a com- 
posite card, and which seems to be more nearly complete 
for a country newspaper. 

17 





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A COMPOSITE FORM 



The "Remarks" space at the bottom is to be used in 
cases where more than one change of address have been 
made and you want to make a note that there has been 
a previous card. In the same way, if only six months' 
subscription was paid and the tip for the month of expira- 
tion had to be changed, a note might be made that there 
was another card. Or if there is a stop order, here is the 
place to put it. There is a perforation at the bottom for 
the rod to pass thru to hold the cards in the file. It can 
be used in this way or without the rod. If a rod is used 
the file is made as safe from losing names as is a book. 
But it would necessitate using a carbon receipt book from 
which subscription entries would be made to the cards 
only once a day or once a week. If the rod had to be re- 
moved every time a subscription was paid it would cause 
lots of work. 

I would also use cards of two colors — white for county 
circulation and blue for foreign circulation. The advan- 
tage in this is in keeping a close watch on foreign cir- 
culation. 

Another point worth mentioning about office systems 
is the value of receipts. Every newspaper office should 
have a blank form receipt, and one should be issued with 
every payment. It is easy to do. Besides giving the sub- 
scriber something to show him when his subscription ex- 
pires, it shifts the burden of proof of mistakes onto the 
subscriber. Subscribers to a newspaper, especially to the 
newspaper which has no pay-in-advance system and lets 
22 



MECHANICAL DEVICES FOR MAILING 

subscriptions run, are prone to forget just how their bills 
stand. And generally the time slips by faster than they 
imagine. A simple receipt, merely telling the date issued, 
the amount received and the date to which it pays the 
subscriber, is all that is needed. Some offices use more 
complete receipts and keep carbon copies. These act as 
checks on all the other books. 

Mailing Out the Paper 

No discussion of circulation is complete without some 
word on the mechanical devices for keeping mailing 
lists and for mailing out papers. Country papers use either 
the Mustang mailer, which prints the name on the paper, 
or the galley-proof pasting mailers which attach a small 
printed slip to the paper. It does not matter which is 
used if care is taken in the work. All lists should be regu- 
larly read for errors, and should be arranged and kept in 
such a shape that a paper will be sent every week to each 
subscriber. And never is the time wasted which is used 
in stamping, wrapping and bundling neatly. 

The mechanical devices should afford the best efficiency 
in mailing. No paper which is always late can expect to 
keep from hearing complaints, which are always hard on 
the circulation list. And those who have been around a 
newspaper office know that the last minute is always taken 
in getting the paper printed; therefore there is no time 
to be lost in mailing them out. 

Postage is a small item in the cost of producing the 



THE SUBSCRIPTION LIST 



paper. The average country paper pays only about twenty- 
five cents to seventy-five cents a week for all the papers 
it sends out. Extra charge is made for foreign circulation. 
But the newspaper man need not worry about postage, 
for it is easy to stay under the government rules for second- 
class mail matter. 

The Worth of a Subscription List 

When a newspaper is sold it is generally at double or 
more than double the actual value of the physical plant. 
The intangible thing which enhances the value of the 
newspaper is called its good- will. Good- will is that factor 
which is shown by the size of the newspaper's circulation 
list and the attitude of the subscribers toward the paper's 
management. Each newspaper has a good-will that is 
worth something. The only way that the amount of its 
worth is ever fixed is by the agreement of the buyer and 
the seller. The good-will of a newspaper with a strong 
circulation and high advertising rates is oftentimes double 
or even treble the value of the mechanical equipment. 
A strong circulation — especially the sworn circulation — 
brings advertising. And this circulation can be capital- 
ized on the amount of profits above the profit realized on 
the actual physical value of the plant. 

The Subscriber 

The subscriber to a country newspaper should be among 
the editor's acquaintances. When he comes into the office, 
24 



THE SUBSCRIBERS 



the editor should be able to call him by name. He'll like 
it. If the editor doesn't know his subscribers, he had bet- 
ter get out and meet them. He is their servant; he has 
entered into a contract to furnish them with the local 
news. He'll never be able to satisfy his contract unless he 
is able to tell exactly what interests them and what their 
opinions are. It's his place to arouse a personal feeling 
between himself and his subscribers ; for, after all, they 
are his customers just the same as there are customers of 
any country store. Often an editor calls on his subscrib- 
ers to come in and pay up, as he wants to pay for a new 
machine. While not a good business policy, it always 
shows the feeling of friendship which the subscriber has 
for the newspaper. A subscriber will stick by you if you 
learn to serve him. That is the supreme test — service and 
loyalty to those who make up the subscription list. 



25 



BOOKS ABOUT PRINTING 



THE ART AND PRACTICE OF TYPOGRAPHY. By Edmund G. Gress. 
Fifty large inserts in color; 700 reproductions, mostly in color, of high-class 
commercial printing by some of America's best typographers; almost 100,000 
words of practical instruction; 125 type arrangements. 9^ x 12^, 250 pages, 
cloth, $5.00; postage and packing 45 cents extra. 

THE AMERICAN MANUAL OF PRESSWORK. The most elaborate and ex- 
haustive volume ever published on the subject. It is a book of the practical 
kind that is indispensable for pressmen and others having to do with press- 
work. 164 solid text pages and many artistic inserts in two or more colors, 
besides more than a hundred illustrations in one color. 8}4 x 12J4, cloth, 
$4.00; postage and packing 35 cents extra. 

HOW TO MAKE MONEY IN THE PRINTING BUSINESS. By Paul Nathan. 
Give value and "charge the price" might be an answer to this question; but 
there is a very complete and comprehensive answer in the book bearing 
this title. The book gives full details and information on the highest au- 
thority— Experience. It tells how a man made money out of printing— a 
thing all are anxious to do. 5M x 9, 288 pages, cloth (gilt stamped), $3.00; 
postage and packing 20 cents extra. 

HOW TO FIND COSTS IN PRINTING. By A. E. Davis. A simple yetthoro 
method of arriving at cost of production in printing establishments. Fully 
illustrated, with reproductions of the necessary forms in full size. An in- 
valuable aid to the superintendent, manager and employer. 5 x 7^, 128 pages, 
17 diagrams in full size, cloth, $1.50; postage and packing 15 cents extra, 

CORRECT COMPOSITION. By Theodore L. De Vinne, A.M. A treatise on 
spelling, abbreviations, the compounding and division of words, the proper 
use of figures and numerals, italic and capital letters, notes, etc., with ob- 
servations on punctuation and proofreading. A volume for the compositor, 
proofreader, writer, editor, advertising man, and all desiring a knowledge 
of correct English composition. 5 x 7}^, 476 pages, cloth, $2.00; postage and 
packing 20 cents extra. 

PLAIN PRINTING TYPES. By Theodore L. De Vinne, A.M. A treatise on 
the processes of typemaking, the point system, the names, sizes, styles and 
prices of types. A volume for all who would learn of the history and char- 
acteristics of type-faces. 5x7^, 403 pages, cloth, $2.00; postage and packing 
20 cents extra. 

MODERN BOOK COMPOSITION. By Theodore L. De Vinne, A.M. A treat- 
ise on typesetting by hand and by machine and on the proper arrangement 
and imposition of pages. There are illustrated and described the details of 
composing-room work. 5x7^, 477 pages, cloth, $2.00; postage and packing 
20 cents extra. 

TITLE-PAGES. By Theodore L. De Vinne, A.M. A treatise on the styles 
and arrangements of book title-pages. A necessary volume for the student 
of display typography. 5x 714% 485 pages, cloth, $2.00; postage and packing 
20 cents extra. 



NOTABLE PRINTERS OF ITALY DURING THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. 
By Theodore L. De Vinne, A.M. Illustrated with facsimiles from early edi- 
tions, and with remarks on early and recent printing. 9}4 x 12J-6, 210 pages, 
cloth and paper, $15.00; postage and packing 35 cents extra. 

THE AMERICAN HANDBOOK OF PRINTING. A general review of all the 
branches of printing, written in an interesting and concise manner with- 
out the use of ultra-technical expressions. The book is an encyclopedia of 
facts valuable to those having to do with printing. Over 300 pages, 25 in 
color, 182 illustrations, 5J4x7^£, $2.00; postage and packing 15 cents extra. 

PRACTICAL PRINTING. By George Sherman. A book about printing that 
deals with the working of the plant. Practically advises the printer starting 
in business how to make a profit. 5x7^, 144 pages, cloth, $1.50; postage and 
packing 15 cents extra. 

HOW TO ESTIMATE ON PRINTING. By Harry M. Basford. This book has 
been written especially for the printer desiring to learn to do estimating 
and is of value to all who wish to improve their knowledge of modern 
methods. 5x7^, 106 pages, cloth, $1.50; postage and packing 15 cents extra. 

HOW TO ADVERTISE PRINTING. By Harry M. Basford. Written for the 
purpose of guiding the printer in advertising his business. Including ex- 
amples of good copy for advertising purposes. 5x7^6, 106 pages, cloth, $1.50; 
postage and packing 15 cents extra. 

TYPE DESIGNS IN COLOR. A portfolio of more than one hundred full- 
size type designs, set from actual customers' copy and printed in various 
two-color harmonies, on fine-quality colored stock. Bound in artistic paper 
cover. 9^ x 12^6, $1.00; postage and packing 15 cents extra. 

POCKET GUIDE TO PRINTING. By George Vickers. Compiled for the 
printer, the advertising man and all having to do with the printing trade. 
8J-6 x 6^6, 48 pages, postpaid 50 cents. 

Booklets 
the offset process— from a practical viewpoint. by lee l. 

Crittenden. 5^4x7, 24 pages, paper, postpaid 50 cents. 

MAKING READY ON PLATEN PRESSES. By Geo. F. Bradford. 5M x 7, 40 
pages, paper, postpaid 50 cents. 

A SYSTEM FOR A MEDIUM-SIZED PRINTSHOP. By Charles V. Simmons. 

&A x7, 24 pages, paper, postpaid 50 cents. 

EMBOSSING: HOW IT IS DONE. By Robert H. Dippy. 5^ x 7, 16 pages, 
paper, postpaid 25 cents. 

TABULAR COMPOSITION. By Robert Seaver. 5M x7. 20 pages, paper, post- 
paid 25 cents. 

GETTING SUBSCRIBERS FOR THE COUNTRY NEWSPAPER. By J. B. 

Powell. 5^4x7, 28 pages, paper, postpaid 50 cents. 

PAY-ROLL TABLES. Save the bookkeeper's time. For eight or nine hours. 
Postpaid 50 cents each per set. 



Oswald Publishing Company 

25 City Hall Place, New York 



um. m j^oMjgioivum^^ji^iJi&L^sj!^^ 



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THE 



AMERICAN 
PRINTER. 




APRIL • 1913 



OSWALD PUBLISHING COMPANY 

\% CITY HALL PLACE -NEW YORK 




£0 CENTS A COPY 



$3.00 A YBAB~ 



A MONTHLY magazine for employing printers, superintend- 
ents, foremen and ambitious journeymen. It presents and 
discusses all that is progressive and important in the printing 
industry. Specimens of printing are reviewed monthly, and the 
best reproduced. Jobs are reset and shown in colors, and typo- 
graphic competitions are conducted frequently. Handsome in- 
serts in color appear in every number. Size 9 x 12, subscription 
$3.00 a year in U. S., 30 cents a copy. 150 and more pages monthly. 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRES 



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